Illuminated traffic signal



Oct. 30, 1956 J. A. ONEILL 2,769,162

ILLUMINATED TRAFFIC sxcmm,

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ILLUMINATED TRAFFIC SIGNAL Filed June 25, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 jawiw cm- ILLUMINATED TRAFFIC SIGNAL James A. ONeill, Chelsea, Mass.

Application June 23, 1953, Serial No. 363,443

1 Claim. (Cl. 340-84) This invention pertains to illuminated trafiic signals of the type employed for the control of highway traflic.

The usual illuminated traffic signal is of the bulls-eye type and doubtless adopted from railway practice. While the bulls-eye type of signal is probably adequate for railway use, where the principal purpose of the signal is to inform the locomotive engineer whether he must stop or may proceed, and where direction depends upon operation of switches not under the engineers control, a different situation exists with respect to highway traffic, where the direction of travel of a vehicle is wholly dependent upon the individual driver. Under such conditions the bulls-eye signal, at best, provides merely a spot of color, usually of a diameter not exceeding and which may not be at all adequate even as a stop and go signal when exposed to the direct impact of full sunshine. Moreover, because the usual bulls-eye is not designed to provide direction indications, it must be shielded to prevent it from being seen, except by one directly approaching it and, for this purpose, it is at least partially surrounded by a hood or shield so that the field of view of the color area is quite limited. When it is sometimes attempted to provide a direction signal, for example, by the placing of an arrow in the bulls-eye, the signal thus provided is so small in dimensions that it is very easily overlooked, particularly by one driving an unfamiliar territory.

The present invention has for one of its objects the provision of an illuminated traflic signal, which not only provides adequate color areas under all external lighting conditions to inform the driver as to whether he must stop or may proceed, but which also furnishes a clear and unmistakable indication of direction.

A further object is to provide an illuminated traflic signal, comprising relatively long and narrow color areas so disposed and arranged as not only to provide the driver with the desired information as to whether he may or may not proceed, but which at the same time indicates by the direction of their lengths in what direction the driver may proceed.

A further object is to provide an illuminated trafric signal wherein an elongate arm, curved to indicate the direction in which a vehicle may turn, is provided with contrasting color areas (for example, red and green) which may be illuminated alternately, thereby to advise the driver as to whether he must stop or may proceed in the direction indicated by the curvature of the arm.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be pointed out in the following more detailed description and by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a front elevation illustrating one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is ,a side view of the signal illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the signal shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section to much large scale on the line 55 of Fig. 1;

States Patent '0 Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are diagrammatic front elevations illustrating further embodiments of the invention; and

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary section substantially on the line 1111 of Fig. 5.'

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 20 (Fig. 1) designates an illuminated traflic signal according to the present invention. The signal thus designated comprises a housing shaped to provide three elongate direction indicating arms 21, 22 and 23, respectively, each arm being elongate and of a transverse width substantially less than its length. The central arm 21 is straight and vertical, while the right and left-hand arms diverge outwardly in opposite directions symmetrically with respect to the central arm and are so curved that their pointed outer extremities point substantially horizontally in opposite directions, each arm having a pointed extremity the illuminated faces of the several arms being in substantially the same vertical plane.

The several arms are hollow, forming parts of a strong structure which may be of sheet or cast metal or of other suitable material, for example, plastic reinforced with fibreglass, or the like, having sufficient mechanical strength and weather resistance. The several arms may be integrally joined or may be separate elements, which, after assembly, are suitably united. The complete housing, as here illustrated, is mounted upon or formed integrally with a base 27, here shown as a hollow box supported on a post 28 or other appropriate means, at a height such that the signal is readily visible to the driver of an approaching vehicle. Because of the greater area of visible color exhibited by the improved signal, as compared with the bulls-eye signal, it is not necessary to elevate the signal so much as the customary signal.

As here illustrated (Figs. 4 and 5) each of the arms 21, 22, etc. comprises an elongate, trough-like, forwardly open rear casing or shell 28, here shown as of approximately semi-circular contour in transverse section and its concavity at the front having flanges 28a at its forward longitudinal edges which are detachably connected, as by bolts B, to the corresponding front frame comprising the spaced longitudinal marginal portions 29, 30 which, in contour correspond to the shape of the respective arm of which the frame forms a part. That is to say, the front frame of the arm 21 would have straight, parallel marginal portions 29 and 30, while marginal portions of the front frame of each of the lateral arms would be arcuate and concentrically curved, except that the marginal portions 29 and 30 in any case converge at their outer ends according to the contour of the pointed extremities of the several arms. Each front frame also comprises a central bar 31 (Fig. 5) which divides the space between the marginal portions 29 and 30 so as to form two windows 32 and 33, each extending substantially from one end to the other of the respective arm, each window thus being long and narrow.

A septum 34 is attached at its rear end to the inner surface of the shell 38, the forward end of the septum ,fitting in a slot 31 in the center bar 31 of the front frame (see Fig. 5). Glass panels R and G of contrasting colors (for example, red and green, respectively) cover the two window apertures 32 and 33, respectively, being held between opposing elements of the shell 28 and the front frame.

The septum 34 divides the space within the shell 28 and behind the glass panels into two independent chambers 35 and 36 and in each of these chambers there is arranged a concave reflector 37 and 38, respectively, each reflector having its concave face directed toward one of the glass panels. These reflectors may be of any material or construction customarily employed in the manufacture of reflectors for lights; for example, they may be of glass having a coating of silver or mercury or of speculum metal or the like. Each reflector extends throughout the full length of its respective chamber and each reflector has a series of longitudinally spaced holes in which are fixed sockets (of conventional type) for thereception of incandescent light bulbs B. Preferably the bulbs are spaced equally lengthwise of the arm and are connected in parallel to a source of current so that the burning out of one bulb will not affect the others. While independent incandescent bulbs are preferably employed, it is contemplated that some other light source, for example a fluorescent tube extending lengthwise of the arm may be substituted for the bulbs. The bulbs within the two reflectors 37 and 38 will be controlled by any usual switching device (not shown), such as customarily used in traffic signals, so devised and adjusted that when the bulbs behind the red glass panel are lighted, those behind the green glass panel will not be lighted and vice versa.

The central bar 31 of the front frame has a forwardly directed guard fin 39 and the marginal portions 29 and 30 of the front frame also have forwardly directed guard fins 40 and 41., the marginal fins merging at the ends of the respective arms to form pointed extremities, these guard fins or flanges, as illustrated, being approximately perpendicular to the front faces of the light transmitting panels and preferably projecting forwardly, as shown, a distance exceeding one-half the transverse width of each adjacent panel.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the base 27 has a bulls-eye 42 in its forward wall, which is illuminated at times by a bulb housed within the base, the bullseye 42 usually being yellow or orange in color and the bulb being lighted at proper times by the operation of the usual switch which controls the lights in the arms.

The signal device illustrated in Fig. 1 is designed to control the stopping and starting of traflic and likewise to designate the direction in which traffic may proceed, whether straight ahead, or to the right or left. The elongate arms have somewhat the psychological effect of a pointed index finger, the right and left curving arms especially exerting a strong appeal to turn in the direction thereby indicated. Assuming that trafiic is to stop, all of the red panels will be illuminated simultaneously. If now traflic is to be permitted to move straight ahead, but neither to the right or left, the red panels in the lateral arms will remain red, while the red panel in the vertical arm will become dark, and the green panel in the vertical arm will be illuminated. However, if at this time traffic is to be permitted to turn to the right, but not to the left, the green panel in the right-hand lateral arm will also be illuminated, while the red panel in that arm will be dark, although the red panel in the opposite arm will continue to be bright. In the same way, if traflic is to turn to the left, the green panel in the left-hand arm will be illuminated, while the red panel in the right-hand arm will be illuminated. Various other combinations of lighting may be provided for in accordance with the desired control of traffic.

The signal device thus illustrated in Fig. 1 sufiices for use at the majority of intersections where two streets come at right angles. However, in may cases, a simpler form of signal, such as those illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 having but one lateral arm may be suflicient. On the other hand, at a fork in the highway, the vertical arm may not be necessary, and an arrangement such as that illustrated in Fig. 8 may be all that is required.

If the intersection be more than usually complicated, a signal, such as that illustrated, for example in Fig. 9 may be employed, wherein more than one lateral arm is arranged at each side of the vertical arm and in that case, some of the lateral arms may, if desired, be longer than others.

In some instances, traflic may at all times be permitted to move or prohibited from moving in a given direction while it moves intermittently in another direction, and in this event, a signal device such as that illustrated in Fig. 10 may be employed wherein one of the lateral arms may have only a single glass panel, for example, either red or green, which is illuminated at all times but the same effect may be obtained by installing glass panels of the same color in both windows of any of the arms of the signals illustrated in Fig. 1 for example.

Because of the versatility of the trafiic signal herein disclosed, a single device will usually sufiice to control traflic, both as to stopping and starting and also as to direction, at even the most complicated intersection.

Other combinations of elongate, di ection indicating arms may readily be devised in accordance with the requirements of a particular intersection or a particular problem of controlling traflic flow, all within the purview of the present invention as set forth in the appended claim.

I claim:

A highway trafiic signal of the kind which comprises a stationary housing shaped to provide a plurality of relatively long and narrow arms diverging upwardly from a hollow base, each arm having a tapering end portion and one at least of said arms being so shaped that its tapered end points in a direction in which traflic at times proceeds, each arm comprising an elongate trough-like, forwardlyopen rear casing of rigid, opaque, weather-resistant material, and a front frame normally fixed to said rear casing, the front frame comprising longitudinal marginal portions so contoured that when the casing and frame are assembled said marginal portions of the front frame register with longitudinal edges of the.corresponding arm of the casing, the frame also having a central bar between said marginal portions, said bar and said marginal portions defining a pair of window apertures which extend longitudinally of the corresponding arm, a light-transmitting panel of a material which is resistant to moisture, closing each of said window apertures, a protective flange of opaque material projecting forwardly from the center bar of the front frame, an elongate concave reflector arranged within the concavity of the rear casing behind each respective panel, each reflector extending substantially the entire length of the concavity in which it is arranged, the concavity of each reflector being at its front side, illuminating means arranged within each reflector, and an opaque septum within each arm, each septum extending forwardly from the inner surface of the rear casing and being interposed between the two reflectors, characterized in having a protective flange of opaque material projecting forwardly from each of the said longitudinal marginal portions of the front frame, all of the protective flanges being approximately perpendicular to the plane of the adjacent panel and of a front-to-rear depth exceeding one-half the width of said panel, the front frame being detachably secured to the rear casing, the center bar of the front frame having a longitudinally extending channel in its rear side in which the forward edge of the septum is seated.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 73,705 Korvallis Oct. 25, 1927 D. 169,945 ONeill June 30, 1953 1,152,092 Hopkins Aug. 31, 1915 1,638,706 Que Aug. 9, 1927 1,809,374 Carter June 9, 1931 2,120,288 McReady June 14-, 1938 2,137,161 Grantham Nov. 15, 1938 2,230,152 Wolfrey Jan. 28, 1941 

